


Tread

by Aki_Saiko (saikowrites)



Series: Writober 2019 [20]
Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Canon Compliant, Inktober 2019, Introspection, Missing Moments, Pre-Canon, Tread, Writober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 00:03:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21109376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saikowrites/pseuds/Aki_Saiko
Summary: Edea's life path is clear and her dreams are big. But she stumbles on rough road and has to retreat before she falls.WRITOBER 2019 | Day 20: Tread | Based on the official Inktober 2019 prompt list.





	Tread

**Author's Note:**

> Short piece today but I didn't feel to add anything much to this fic.  
Enjoy some smol Edea!

Her mother’s voice lulled her with a fairytale, and Edea fought against heavy eyelids to listen until the end. She stretched amongst fluffy pillows and embroidered heavy blankets, savored the comfort of her sleepwear compared to the stiff clothes she’d had to wear all day to attend private lessons and meetings and lunches. Mahzer painted pictures of bravery and valor with her stories, and Edea’s mind lit back with fantasies of journeys and honorable adversaries to duel against.

“I want to be a hero, too, mother! Like father. He does good things for the Duchy and fight the witches.” She straightened a bit, but her mother’s hands were quick to lay her back on the mattress. She pouted. “I want to fight, too! Can I have my own sword one day?”

“My dear Edea, one day, you will. But even courageous heroines need to sleep in order to rest their bodies.” Mahzer caressed her cheek and stood up from the bed. “Goodnight,” she whispered and blew out the last pair of candles in the room.

Edea curled up and fell asleep with a bright smile on her face. One day, she would be a warrior. She would fight the bad and protect her family and her house. A clear path unraveled in her dreams, one of glory and adventures, perfectly irradiated by the winter yet piercing sun of an Eternian day.

***

Edea spat and pressed a hand against her beaten side. Master Kamiizumi’s wooden sword might not have cut, but the bruises it gave used to stick on her body for weeks. She adjusted her posture and rose her fake weapon a second time.

“No, this will not do.” Master Kamiizumi shook his head and lowered her sword with his hand. “You tend to lean forward with your bust too much, and the position of your feet will not grant you sufficient recovery in case you take another hit.” He tapped her shoulders with his sword and Edea straightened her back. The training armor brushed against her chest and stomach and she fought back the urge to cough. Hard training and sore body were hundreds of times better than any other of her duties, and she would have gladly traded one single morning of ancient history exposition with a week of Master Kamiizumi’s lessons.

The swordsman look was grave. “Edea, you are too impetuous. I understand that you wish to prove your skill, but swordsmanship is an art, and thus it requires discipline and practice.”

Edea sighed. Her grip on the wooden hilt tightened. “I’m sorry, Master.” She run a hand through platinum blond hair that was growing longer and more rebellious. Treading on the path to honor and glory meant tripping on dips, sometimes. Master Kamiizumi said that, her mother said that, her father said that. And one day, Edea would show to Eternia her worth.

***

She twisted her arm, knotted the leather laces behind her back and closed the velvet red corset of the Eternian Sky Knights uniform. Hands lingered on her body to feel the fit of every piece, every clothing, every part of her new armor. She placed a coordinated bow on her wild hair and slipped her hands in the black leather gloves. She clenched and unclenched fists and they creaked.

Edea took a deep breath and looked at the sword on her bed. The varnish of the scabbard showed scratches and other signs of years of long trainings, fights, exams and trials. She grabbed it and headed to the door. Her hand stopped mid-air and she turned back to gaze at her room one last time. Armor pieces were scattered on the floor while princely dresses covered the other half on her bed. She hated fanciness as a child; now she was going to miss official meetings and great feasts.

Edea smiled and opened the door. Before her, the majestic corridor of Eternia Central Command, lit up by bright torches and leading her to the departure of her journey.

***

Pitch-black smoke burned her eyes. She coughed and glared at Black Mage Ominas Crowe shouting threats against Caldisla and its people. Her blood boiled, and fingers clenched against the Ise-no-kami.

A thought, replaying again and again in her mind since after the first nights in the Army. _This is so wrong._

She’d sworn to protect people from the menace of Crystallism. She’d devoted herself to haunt the maleficent vestal and fight for what was good. But what good would come from killing innocents, exploiting villages and threatening poor people?

_This is so wrong. They must be stopped._

A chasm opened in front of her, and she was only mere feet apart. Her path, now gone. Forever.

She stepped back and refused to fall into the pit.

**Author's Note:**

> Previous work in the collection: Persona 5 - ShuAke - Sling  
Next one in the collection will be: Persona 5 - Shiho/Ann - Treasure


End file.
